Category Archives: Review Roundups

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 8/3

Posted on by
Reply

RUBY SPARKS

“As sophomoric as it may sound on paper, RUBY SPARKS clicks, with a script that embraces as much convention as it intends to buck.” – Norm Schrager, Meet In The Lobby 

“Hobbled by one of the least appealing lead performances of this or maybe any year and directed with tone-deaf inconsistency at every turn.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly
 
“Just because the filmmakers wink at us through all this sub-Woody Allen bullshit doesn’t mean it isn’t sub-Woody Allen bullshit.” – Jake Mulligan, The Suffolk Voice

 

 TOTAL RECALL

“I didn’t hate the new TOTAL RECALL. But only because it’s way, way too forgettable to be worth the effort to hate. Call it extreme indifference, I guess.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“I’d rather watch paint dry. At least then, when the process was finished, I’d be looking at something different than what I was looking at before.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“One of the few, fortunate movies to do something interesting with an old favorite, preserving timeless tropes while addressing contemporary concerns.” – Kilian Melloy, Kal’s Movie Blog

“It takes the central conceit of the original film and saps away all the irony and bombast that made it endearing in the first place.” – Jake Mulligan, The Suffolk Voice

“TOTAL RECALL doesn’t forget its roots. It simply overwrites them with some new memories.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

 

EASY MONEY

“Tides of fear, rage, and greed sweep through the cast of characters, propelling them on disastrous collision courses.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston
 
“In this world, it’s not the blood on your hands that brings you down — it’s the stain on your cufflinks.” – Jake Mulligan, The Boston Phoenix
 
 
 
KLOWN
 
“Like HEART OF DARKNESS if it were built around semen humor, KLOWN gives us the kinkiest trip down a river since DELIVERANCE.” – Jake Mulligan, The Suffolk Voice
 
“Denmark’s answer to CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, with vestiges of Dogme 95.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix
 
 
 
GIRLFRIEND BOYFRIEND
 
“Complicated but compelling, the film also struggles a bit with Yang’s erratic direction.” – Monica Castillo, The Boston Phoenix
 
 
 
 THE BABYMAKERS
 

“A testosterone-fuelled view of infertility; meaning it’s all about sperm jokes, penis jokes, masturbation jokes and, when all that fails, getting hit in the crotch.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“I promise you, I’m not making this up: this is a movie someone paid to make, and assumed other people would pay to see. I’m at a loss.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

 

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: DOG DAYS

“More like diary of a little asshole.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“If you’re over the age of 12, chances are you’re already too old for these movies.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

 

AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY

“Some bio-docs let you feel as though you’ve lived the subject’s life. For better or worse, this one makes you feel like an eavesdropper.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 7/27

Posted on by
Reply

THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES

“The recession writ extra-large in gigantic gaudy letters, director Lauren Greenfield’s documentary transcends its Bravo TV-show trappings to become something rather telling, and weirdly empathetic.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“Distinctly American in ways many of us would likely rather not admit, not least because Greenfield truly seems to have some reverence for their broken, oversized dreams.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

 

THE WATCH

“Unforunately, THE WATCH takes four genuinely funny comedic actors and gives them nothing of substance to work with. In turn, it gives the audience nothing worth watching.” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Movie Examiner

“Congratulations, MEN IN BLACK III. You are no longer the least entertaining comedy about aliens that I have seen this summer.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“How the hell did this much talent produce something so middling? It simply feels like smaller bits and pieces from funnier movies, thrown together without any attempt at a cohesive structure or a controlled pace.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“If you’re curious how well the moron comedy and the alien invasion film work together let’s put it like this: as well as chocolate syrup goes with sushi.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, The Sci-Fi Movie Page

“The film’s general effect is one of mild, harmless entertainment, but by the same token this is also a movie you’ll forget you saw within a matter of hours.” – Kilian Melloy, Kal’s Movie Blog

“The word ‘crude’ comes to mind, as both a description of the humor and the quality of the writing.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse

 

STEP UP REVOLUTION

“The dancing’s there, but frustrated sighs and Kristen Stewart-esque eyes will only get you so much emotion.” – Monica Castillo, DigBoston

“It’s mind-numbingly stupid. But it’s also energetic, youthful, and most of all visually exhilarating.” – Jake Mulligan, The Sufflolk Voice

“There’s a lame plot stringing together a lot of energetic dance numbers. There’s nothing wrong with that. The classic MGM musicals were much the same, although the dialogue was a bit sharper.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

 

SACRIFICE

“Kaige does a masterful job of pacing the story, weaving together the formative moments of the young man’s life to create a compelling and thoroughly entertaining cinematic experience.
 – John Black, Boston Event Guide 

“The two hours crawl by, hanging on a series of exposition-heavy conference scenes, and it’s hard to stay emotionally invested in a plot so twist-heavy.” – Jake Mulligan, The Boston Phoenix

 

HARA-KIRI: DEATH OF A SAMURAI

“By sticking to conventions and never subverting the formula, Miike shows off his versatility in yet another way. And when his craft is this studied and strong, it’s hard to begrudge him going classical.” – Jake Mulligan, The Suffolk Voice

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 7/20

Posted on by
Reply

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

“It goes bigger. It goes bolder. It even goes broader – with what I think might be director Christopher Nolan’s interpretation of what we humans call ‘comedy.’ And yet something about it just doesn’t work.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“Maybe the biggest movie I have ever seen. Not the best, mind you – just the largest, most sprawling, and most comically ambitious. By the time the fifth or sixth act rolled around I learned to stop worrying and love the hugeness.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“Hathaway is a delight and wonderfully redeems the big-screen portrayal of Catwoman; washing away Halle Berry’s ineptly asinine take on the character from our collective nightmares.” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Movie Examiner

“In its grandiose design and large-scale aspirations, this movie reaches levels not often reached in the superhero genre.  When it finished, I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me.”  – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“You had to expect that Christoper Nolan would throw everything he’s got into the final chapter of his bar-setting Batman series. It’s a huge, mixed bag of Nolan-sized ambition, working both for and against the film.” – Norm Schrager, Meet In The Lobby

“This is exciting, dramatic and intelligent filmmaking. Nolan’s Batman trilogy represents the high water mark for costumed hero sagas and one not likely to be matched anytime soon.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

“Nolan, who co-wrote the script with his brother Jonathan, tries to coat the film in a slick sheen of ‘bigger meaning,’ but none of the themes are really fully developed beyond the footnote stage.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“It’s as if Nolan has held up a mirror and left enough in the text for either side to interpret it their way, rather than make a more pointed political statement. For such a broad work of pop-art, it’s the perfect approach.” – Jake Mulligan, The Suffolk Voice

“Do you think that Nolan, in his re-envisioning of the Batman universe, has maybe become a little condescending towards it? Does he think that he’s better than the source material?” – Steve Head, The Post-Movie Podcast

“His story gets diluted by focusing on so many characters at once. Batman himself almost seems to take a backseat in his own movie.” – Evan Crean, Reel Recon

 

THE DAY HE ARRIVES

“Hong Sang-soo may be copying a template from his earlier movies about flailing directors, but each film is unique, punctuated by occasional zooms that underline the randomness of existence.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 7/13

Posted on by
Reply

ICE AGE: CONTINENTAL DRIFT

“It’s still funny, but you’ve seen it all before.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix
 
“For a series about extinction, this franchise feels like it’s been going on forever.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston
 
“Like the other two sequels, CONTINENTAL DRIFT isn’t a bad movie at all. It’s just kinda superfluous. “ – Bob Chipman, The Escapist
 
“The problem is that there’s little in the way of wit to engage the adults.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, Northshoremovies.net
 
  
 
KATY PERRY: PART OF ME
 
“Perry presents herself as a curiously asexual sex object, sorta like Strawberry Shortcake in hot-pants with sparkly pinwheels on her boobs.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly
 
 
“An unexpectedly more nuanced concert film that depicts Katy Perry with more depth and personality than one might expect from a film of this nature.” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Movie Examiner
 
 
NEIL YOUNG JOURNEYS
 
“Demme’s always trying to get as close as he can to where the music is being made, but here he might have outdone himself and finally gotten a bit too close.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly
 

 

 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 7/6

Posted on by
Reply

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN

“A rancid, terrible, stiflingly inept, torturous-to-sit-through piece of shit.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“They had a chance to make something new, something hip, something exciting with this. Instead they made a film we’ve already seen.” – Jake Mulligan, The Suffolk Voice

“For those who actually like getting involved with the characters, it’s an improvement.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

“This might be the most curiously under-populated New York City we have ever seen at the movies. $200 million can’t buy you any extras?” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“Cut from the same form-fitting cloth as any other superhero movie. This is no art house classic, though it’s certainly better than most movies of its genre.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston

“Taking for granted that the character’s popularity alone will pull in an audience, they turn in an uneven, often sub-par product with only glimmers of improvement here and there.” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Movie Examiner

“The reason this movie exists is because of Sony’s bottom line. Beyond that, what else does this add? Nothing.” – Steve Head, The Post-Movie Podcast

 

TO ROME WITH LOVE

“MIDNIGHT IN PARIS was profound in a deceptively breezy way. TO ROME WITH LOVE is just plain breezy, but I didn’t mind.” – Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian

“Woody Allen’s latest vacation may not be his worst film, but it’s his least inspired.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“The stories are entertaining but feel unfinished, as if we are watching Allen’s cinematic sketchbook instead of a finished film.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“I loved the comedic surrealism. I would go see it again in a second.” – Steve Head, The Post-Movie Podcast 

 

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD

“Some moments seem derivative, or unnecessarily enigmatic, but the sheer exuberance of Zeitlin’s most stunning visuals suggests an artistic voice far too strong to write off.” – Jake Mulligan, The Boston Phoenix

“Here’s a movie that looks, feels and sounds so profoundly different from the vast majority of films that you occasionally want to pinch yourself.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

“A junkyard rhapsody that seems to be inventing its own cinematic language as it goes along.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“One of the most striking, brilliant, poignant and beautifully crafted films I have witnessed within my lifetime. I imagine it will always hold a special place in my heart.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

 
 

SAVAGES

“So damn refreshing it makes you realize just what pale, pathetic junk we’ve been force fed so far this year.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“Stone may occasionally make you wince at the plot twists and the purple prose, but the film won’t leave you bored.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

“Travolta the ham, Benicio the cheese, with a hilarious edit by Stone that even holds the tomatoes. Literally.” – Norm Schrager, Paste Magazine

“It may not be perfect, but it’s the perfect anti-summer movie: violent, obliquely political and aimed at adults.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“I don’t know of too many surfer dudes who say: ‘We’re going to go all Sunni on their asses!’ But that’s the mark of a Stone film, I suppose.” – Monica Castillo, DigBoston

“Messy and electric, as deeply problematic as it is provocative. In other words, it’s an Oliver Stone movie.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly 
 
 
 

NATURAL SELECTION

“Yes, it’s a road movie, and an unfortunate drama begging to be a comedy.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

 

TAKE THIS WALTZ

“It makes you think about just how far good lighting, some risky dialogue and an ambiguous ending can go in covering up a been-there-done-that narrative.” – Jake Mulligan, The Suffolk Voice